“Rather than feel abandoned, though, I think we felt empowered. I think after Katrina, people who love New Orleans went deeper in their love,” says Tim Williamson, Co-founder and CEO of Idea Village, a nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs in New Orleans. He says that the first people to return to New Orleans following Katrina were entrepreneurs; the circumstances dictated it.

“Everyone became one, in a way, whether it was restarting businesses or rebuilding their homes.

“The city was empty ten years ago. It’s now really become a startup city,” says Tim.

On the map

New Orleans startups that have raised the largest amount of money in the last five years

Startup life in New Orleans

Even during the city’s darkest times, its parties weren’t neglected. Three months after Katrina, New Orleanians hit the street to celebrate Mardi Gras.

“That’s crazy. But there’s this normal currency to connect us, that brings together everybody in the city,” says Tim of Idea Village.

A couple months after Mardi Gras and with the city still reeling, it was time for Jazz Fest and a special appearance from Bruce Springsteen. Living in a community that would readily rally together for the special dates in its calendar helped.

“I think that even in those darker times, we always knew that we’d be coming together soon to measure our progress,” says Tim.

Now, in 2016, NOLA is looking forward to more parties. The next big shindig comes in April when Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison and Paul Simon come to town for Jazz Fest 2016. It’s quite the lineup.

The lineup for this year’s Jazz Fest

Alongside events like Jazz Fest, the people of New Orleans are marking new dates in their calendars. They’re coming together for tech.

New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, the “Mardi Gras of entrepreneurship” says USA Today, is held in March. It launched in 2009, just as the first signs of the New Orleans startup ecosystem began to emerge.

It was the year that Jennifer Medbery founded Kickboard, an edtech startup that announced a $2 million Series A in 2013. Jennifer is now considered a founding member of a growing edtech movement in New Orleans that counts Whetstone Education among its successes.

The city’s post-Katrina decision to tackle its failing schools by moving to the less regulated charter system has made New Orleans an attractive environment for edtech startups.

“It’s like New Orleans is this petri dish for edtech where you can try anything,” says Gerard Ramos, Co-Founder of New Orleans’s Revelry Labs, an app and web development company.

Local investors are considered conservative. “You can raise a Seed Round in New Orleans pretty easily if you’ve got a compelling story and startup. The problem comes with the follow-on round and continued growth if you’re not a profitable business,” says Gerard.

But for some, this has become a positive. “The interesting thing you’re gonna find about New Orleans startups is that they’re cash flow-generating.

“Rather than going after market share grabs and building businesses around advertising, they’re solving specific problems in specific industries. We’re building real businesses in New Orleans,” says Gerard.

MobileQubes is an example. They install vending machines that dispense charging stations for phones in airports and train stations.

“We have tourism, and oil and gas industries that have a lot of old money. It’s taken a while to convince those guys to jump into tech investing,” says Gerard. It’s not a bad problem to have.

Time was when young people left New Orleans to make a name for themselves. Now there is a bit of a swagger about the city.

“Any entrepreneur who’s standing here is here because they want to be here; they’ve chosen to be here. There’s a belief that we can be a successful city,” says Tim. As well as the home of one of the most famous parties in the world.

There’s a new swagger in New Orleans as the city approaches its 300th year

Take it from me

Chris Schultz is Co-Founder and CEO of Launch Pad, a community for entrepreneurs that provides workspace, a network of mentors and educational programming and events. He connects the New Orleans startup ecosystem to networks across the world. Here are his New Orleans picks.

Chris (back row and centre in white shirt and aviators) with the Launch Pad team.

Top accelerators/incubators

4.0 Schools – Perfect for New Orleans, this nonprofit runs a range of programmes for teachers looking to develop creative solutions in education.Idea Village – Founded in 2000, Idea Village supports NOLA’s entrepreneurs and is fighting to see the city recognised as the entrepreneurial hub of the South by 2018.Propeller – These guys help launch social and environmental ventures, working out of a 10,000 sq ft coworking space.LookFar – LookFar like to partner with people for an “entrepreneurial moment”: they help people build the tech to execute their ideas.Launch Pad – Stop by Launch Pad anytime – we always welcome new members with a week of coworking to meet the community and get to know our workspace.

Barrel Proof – Hit up Barrel Proof on Magazine Street for 262 premium whiskeys.Cure – This old-school cocktail bar is the place to go for a quiet drink.The IP Building – The Intellectual Property is New Orleans’s version of New York’s Silicon Alley that offers space to creative professionals in New Orleans with no rent subsidy.Pulp & Grind – The best organic juice and craft coffee in the city.

Top places to go for dinner

Doris Metropolitan – If you want to taste the finest steaks in NOLA, you’re going to need to hit Doris Metropolitan.Sylvain – This place is New Orleans landmark, set in a French Quarter building dating back to 1796. Some of the best cooking in the south.Domenica – You’ll get the tastiest Italian cooking in this lively restaurant.St Roch Market – Sat on St Claude Avenue, St Roch Market showcases the finest local produce, sundries and prepared foods from top chefs and entrepreneurs.Capdeville – Classic comfort food and traditional cocktails are the order of the day here.

The dining room at Capdeville, named after the street on which it sits.